


Something To Hold Onto

by Swlfangirl



Category: Supernatural
Genre: Background Destiel, But for some reason, Cas isn't even in it...Don't judge me!, Don't Ask, Explicit Sexual Content, F/M, I Don't Even Know, I broke me off a piece of Moose, Sam/Original Female Character - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-09-29
Updated: 2014-09-29
Packaged: 2018-02-19 05:19:24
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 19,298
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2376152
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Swlfangirl/pseuds/Swlfangirl
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The first time Sam saw her she was sweaty and covered in dirt and death from a graveyard, and yet he still couldn't help himself from thinking.. There's something about that girl. He was right. Cara loses her best friend and decides that the world needs another savior, so she signs up for a war on the world of the Supernatural. Somehow she crosses paths with the Winchester boys and who could blame her for wanting to stick around? #NotMe ( also not an excerpt) Enjoy!</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

September 20, 2013  
Mannington, WV

Cara sifted through the stack of papers unamused by what the library had to offer. She had known there would be little reason to even peruse the tiny building on the outskirts of a small town that probably didn’t have more than a few thousand residents. Still, her laptop was on the fritz and it wasn’t giving her what she needed. She placed the books she’d already pulled, back onto the shelves and moved toward the farthest edge of the room. It looked as if the volumes on the corner shelf were older and might provide more insight. 

She leaned forward and used the tip of her finger to wipe a thick coat of dust off the furthest one and was shocked to see that it was likely to have some of the answers she was seeking. She grabbed it and flipped the cover open and shut, hard enough to cause some of the dust to fly up in her face. As she walked back over toward her seat, she bumped into a thick, solid weight; she stuttered her apologies and moved on. 

About twenty minutes later she was jotting down details from the old tinted pages and making small sketches in the margins of her notebook. She heard a cough and felt someone standing behind her. When she turned around she was confronted with bright hazel green eyes and a charming smile. 

“Can I help you?” Cara muttered, not sure of what the guy could possibly want from her but she wasn’t a rude person.

“Hey there, I was uh.. wondering If you were gonna be done with that any time soon?” His smile was flashy, but it wasn’t enough to warrant her handing over the only thing she’d found that was worthwhile in the whole damn library. 

“I’m not sure, but I’ll be happy to let you know when I finish,” she offered back with a smile. She didn’t like to draw attention to herself but she really couldn’t let it go just yet.

“Well you see, I really need that book… It’s a life or death kinda deal. Doesn’t a pretty girl like you have better things to do than to sit here and cough over some creepy old rumors.” He leaned in closer as if it were supposed to somehow overpower her resistance. She couldn’t help the automatic eye roll when he’d seriously thrown out the “pretty girl” line. 

“No, actually I don’t.. like I said, I ‘ll let you know when I’m done with it.” She didn’t even bother feigning politeness. All bets were off when he tried to flirt with her and held up her research. 

She’d heard a few hushed phone calls to someone, his disappointment in having to wait could have been felt halfway across the room. Unfortunately he was determined to sit at her side and remind her constantly through whoever it was he was talking to on the phone. When she’d gotten the final details of what she needed scribbled down, she turned to him and smiled.

“Here ya go, all yours,” she said before standing and putting all her things into the messenger bag at her feet and pulling it over her shoulder. If she was gonna get rid of a restless spirit, she needed a much better plan.

 

That night she found her way into the dimly lit cemetery and she tried to ignore the freshly dug up dirt in a large mound, and the hole that wasn’t going to be empty for much longer. She wiped at the corner of her eye and kept walking. Her hands were steady and even as she pulled the salt out of her bag and dusted it generously in a large circle around the gravesite. She hoped that what she’d read was legitimate and that she’d given herself enough space to dig without being disrupted by the spirit.

She’d just cracked into the lid of the coffin when her research was tested and thankfully it withstood the ghostly attempts of breaking the salt lined barrier. Cara wouldn’t lie, it was unbelievably scary and intimidating that she could physically see the spirit banging on the edge of the circle as if the only thing it wanted to do was rip her throat out. She dug faster, feeling the urge to set it free as quickly as possible, not only for her sake but for its own good as well. 

She finally broke through the entire top and shook more salt out over the bones. It wasn’t easy but with the help of her shovel, she climbed out of the six foot hole. The gasoline smell burned her nose as she doused the remains, but she could barely notice anything over the screeching cries of the figure standing only a foot away. She took a deep breath and sparked the match, and waited for the flame to grow before tossing it in. She watched as the ghost erupted in a flash of fire and disappeared, thankfully where it wouldn’t be a danger to anyone else ever again. 

Cara slipped the supplies back into her bag and kicked the salt circle around a little until it blended in with the grass surrounding it. She dusted her hands off on the old jeans that were now covered in dirt and bore the stench of death. She lifted her shovel and headed back to her car. She was just about to reach the parking lot when a familiar voice slipped out from the darkness. 

“You!” he demanded. She recognized the husky tone immediately and whirled around to face the direction that it had erupted from.

“Fair warning… I have a shovel,” she said. The words coming out in a way that made her believe she might not be as weak or broken as she felt. 

She swallowed hard when she saw there was someone with him, an even taller more muscular looking guy who could have easily been mistaken for a giant. She wasn’t short and he towered over her by several inches, okay so maybe she couldn’t knock them both out, but she wouldn’t go down without a fight. It wasn’t until the larger one put up his hands up in a gesture of surrender that she thought maybe they weren’t gonna try anything. 

“I’m sorry, that’s my brother Dean and he really shouldn’t have scared you like that,” he offered with a practiced experience that led her to believe he often apologized for his brother’s actions. She gave a small smile and a quick nod before she turned around and continued walking away. The cool leather seat of her truck always held the ability to calm her down. Once she was speeding down the road, she cranked the radio up, rolled the window down, and let the wind wipe her tears away.

 

Cara shifted restlessly in the scratchy motel bed and realized that sleep was evading her once again. She pushed herself up and threw on a hoodie over her thin tanktop and comfortable yoga pants before she slipped out the door. If she wasn’t going to be unconscious for the next eight hours, she at least needed something with caffeine. The lobby of course was closed so she made her way toward the vending machines. She noticed a large shadow at the edge of the entryway and although the hairs on the back of her neck stood up, she continued on. 

“Hello…” She called into the small space, her feet barely making a sound as she moved along the cement walkway. 

The shadow startled in surprise before moving into the light. She was shocked to see that she recognized him as the tall guy from the cemetery, and he rubbed a hand awkwardly through his hair as he came to the same conclusion. “Uh, hey.”

“Are you guys like.. stalking me or something? I gotta say, if that’s the case you need a new hobby,” she replied. Her mind tried to offer other potential reasons why she’d run into at least one of them three times in a single day. Sure they were in a small town but it wasn’t microscopic. She moved closer and slipped a dollar into the slot before pushing the button labeled as her favorite soda. 

“No, of course not.” The man laughed nervously, but he didn’t move away. “Uh, I think we were following the same leads though. My brother was a little annoyed that you beat us to it.” His posture relaxed as he leaned against the metal stairwell that undoubtedly led the the second floor.

“Well if you plan on doing research in a small town you need to be the first one in the library.” She smiled and pulled her drink from the door at the bottom. When she turned around she was finally able to take a good long look at the guy and damn if there wasn’t a helluva lot to see. He was probably close to six and a half feet tall and from what she could tell, a good portion of it was solid muscle. His hair was long, she usually didn’t like that but the way he brushed it back was so adorable she found her heart beating a little faster.

“Yeah, I guess you’re right. Really though, we should be thanking you. I’m not all that fond digging,” the man said with a huff of laughter before offering her his hand. “Sam Winchester. Nice work with the salt circle, by the way.” 

She took his hand and shrugged at the compliment. “Cara… I’m not a fan of digging up corpses either, but it had to be done. I’m not gonna lie I was really surprised the salt thing worked, but I read somewhere that it would protect you from spirits so I thought it was better to look like an idiot than for my pessimistic attitude to get me killed.” She kicked against the metal pole, unsure if she should walk away now that she had what she’d came after.

“Better to be cautious than dead,” Sam agreed. He seemed to notice that she was about to walk away, and he took half a step forward with an earnest expression on his face. “Look, I know you don’t know me, but we don’t meet too many other hunters. I can back off if you want, but I’d really like to compare notes, maybe share a few contacts. We could help each other out?”

She chuckled at his interest and tried to not let it go to her head, just because he seemed nice and was a very attractive guy, didn’t mean she could let her guard down. “I’m sorry… hunter?” She gave him a confused look and took a small drink from the cold aluminum can.

“Wait, so you’re...not a hunter?” he asked, seeming even more curious at her genuine surprise. “What were you doing at the cemetery messing around with a poltergeist if you’re not on the job?” Sam took a seat on the steps and motioned for her to join him. 

“Well I was there to burn the remains so that ghost couldn’t hurt anyone anymore. I find it a little difficult to believe that there’s an actual position for this. Do you work for some secret branch of the government or something?” She asked, fighting the urge to lean into his warmth despite the cold breeze cutting through her hoodie. 

He let out a rich laugh full of genuine amusement. “I wish. Most hunters I’ve met sort of skirt around the edges of the law when we’re not out right breaking it. You’ve got to understand, most people don’t know anything about the supernatural except what they see on TV and occasionally a series of badly written romance novels.” He gritted out between his clenched teeth as if it were painful to say the words. 

“You and me, we’ve seen what’s out there. Hunters do what needs to be done to keep people safe.”He paused for a minute, obviously trying to give her a chance to absorb what he was saying. His wide brown eyes were full of concern and regret as he added: “Most of us start by losing someone close to us. Was this your first hunt?”

Her smile dropped immediately and she felt an acidic burn crawling up her throat. “Yes,” she choked out. It was difficult to continue but the damn look of concern on his face was more than she could stand. “My friend Amanda and I were taking a road trip...kind of a celebration for graduating college before we absolutely had to grow up.. ya know? Anyway, so we were hanging out in a bar in the next town over and some pretty frat boys talked her into a late night ghost walk. She thought it was harmless fun, and I don’t guess I blame her...but it didn’t end that way.” She paused, going through motions similar to when she’d spoken to the police, only this time maybe she was allowed to give the entire story without sounding like a crazy person.

Sam didn’t interrupt or laugh or tell her that she must have been imagining things. Instead he just sat there, a warm comforting presence next to her while he gave her time to reign in her emotions and find the right words. 

She swallowed hard and continued, unsure of how it was going to come out but she probably should tell someone. If nothing else, Sam certainly seemed like the type of person who would be a good listener. “We all went out there after a few drinks, neither of us were drunk but we weren’t exactly sober either. The guys thought it would be hilarious to play a joke on the “out of towners” and they tapered off one by one leaving us alone in the middle of a strange place. It wasn’t even their fault really, I’m sure they didn’t know what would happen but the next thing I knew the ghost or spirit or whatever was coming at me, quickly. Amanda taunted it, and tried to draw its attention away from me. That’s the last thing I remember before I was knocked out. When I came to, she was laying on the ground beside me. I called 911 but it was too late, the EMT’s said she was already gone before they got there.” A shrill wind cut into her and she shivered under it’s frigid temperature. She huddled in on herself, not wanting to give up the company that she’d found in Sam but wasn’t dressed to stay outside for much longer.

“I’m sorry for your loss. I know how hard it can be under normal circumstances not to mention throwing in elements like ghosts and creatures that go bump in the night. Although, It sounds like she was very brave, and trust me when I say that you did the best thing you could do when you made sure that the spirit couldn’t hurt anyone else,” he offered, giving in to temptation and wrapping one of his arms around her shoulders in a comforting half hug. 

She leaned into him, knowing it was probably a bad idea but he was warm and his firm body felt good against her. She casually wiped at the side of her face before she stood and readied herself to leave. “Thank you for...this Sam, but it’s late and really cold..I should get back to my room.” 

“Alright, but listen,” he paused reaching in his pocket and pulling out a small notebook and a pen and frantically scribbling something on it. “Here’s my number. If you have any questions or need help with anything, let me know. It can be rough on your own.” 

She smiled at the gesture, and had it been anyone else she’d have honest to God thought it was a pickup line but the words were far too sincere to be misconstrued as anything other than genuine concern. She gave him a small wave before heading toward her door and tried not to blush when she caught him watching to make sure she made it safely inside her room. 

Sam tried to wipe the smile off his face before he stepped into their room. He knew that Dean would never let him hear the end of it if he thought for a second he was swooning over someone they’d just met. He twisted the key in the door and chewed on the inside of his jaw to keep himself calm. He quickly made his way to the desk where he’d set his laptop up and ignored his brother’s huff of indignance.

It wasn’t long before the inevitable smile he’d been fighting creeped up his face, his mind focused more on finding the next hunt than it was about avoiding Dean’s sideways glances. Soon after, he heard a strained cough that didn’t even remotely hide the raspy barb beneath it. Instead of responding and making it worse, Sam just kept his face pointed toward the lit screen of his laptop and took a sip of his beer. Dean’s second huff of annoyance was enough to make his smile widen just a little. 

“Dude, why you so friggin cheerful all the sudden?” his brother asked as he moved toward the edge of the bed and methodically disassembled his gun.

“I’m not…I just ran into Cara” he started. Sam was completely unable to hide the grin that just kept getting bigger. Dean’s annoyance with it was reason enough. Sam knew there was no point in getting attached to some chick in a small town he wasn’t likely to ever see again but that didn’t mean he could help himself. Today was clearly her first hunt, and he honestly wished that she’d turn and run instead of delving deeper. But he took comfort in the fact that even if she didn't, she seemed smart enough to not get herself killed off too quickly.

“I’m sorry.. who?” Dean asked with a look of confusion and annoyance on his face. Finally ready to crawl into bed Sam flipped the lid of his computer shut and began to dig into his bag. 

“The girl from the cemetery,” he explained as his fingers tugged at the soft cotton of his pajama pants. They were his most recent addition to his wardrobe. His brother might be perfectly okay with wearing the robes of creepy old dead men but he wasn’t.

“You mean the one who bogarted the book we needed, and then stole the case away from us.. that girl?” Dean let out a sigh before continuing. “Sammy you know.. it’s not smart to get wrapped up in other hunters.”

“She’s not a hunter, and we just talked it’s no big deal,” Sam added defensively. He knew it was more than just a talk, or it felt like it anyway but he ignored it and bought himself some time to get out of the lecture Dean had in store. He ignored the groans of his brother and slipped into the bathroom to grab a shower and change. Honestly, it was kind of nice to not have to wash blood, dirt, grime, or any number of potentially sickening fluids from his body. 

He stepped under the hot spray and let it wash over him. The water pressure wasn’t as good at the hotel as it was back in the bunker but it could have been worse. He lathered up the washcloth hanging beside the shower door and washed himself thoroughly, taking a few deep breaths to keep himself calm as images of Cara flashed through his mind. She was beautiful by any standard; dark brown hair, deep blue eyes, and a smile that could have lit up the dark night. He’d managed to sneak a few peeks at the bit of tanned flesh of her shoulder that stuck out from beneath her hoodie. The sketched heart tattoo at the small of her back that he caught a glimpse of when she bent over at the vending machine.

He grunted softly to himself knowing he’d let his mind wander far too long to reign himself in now that his cock had taken notice. Sam wasn’t the type of guy to jerk off to random women he met once, but there was something about her that called out to him. Unable to ignore the pull of desire any longer, he let go and sank his teeth into his arm effectively using it as a muzzle to prevent his sounds from escaping the small motel bathroom. 

When he stepped out of the bathroom Dean was still sitting up watching some sort of infomercial or something. Sam shook his head and crawled between the sheets, and sighed to himself. Ah well, it wasn’t like he had the best track record with women anyway. He offered up a million excuses to himself as to exactly why he should steer clear of anyone, let alone some newbie that’s likely to get herself killed in less than a year. That particular thought made his blood run cold and he decided it was best he stop thinking and just get some sleep. He occupied his mind with a smooth blues song he’d listened to countless times while he’d been away from home. Soon after, his breathing evened out and he drifted off to sleep.


	2. Chapter 2

May 7, 2014  
Phillipsburg, KS

Cara adjusted the last cap aiming it right over the entrance and smiled to herself. Her ideas might not always work out the way she planned but most of the time it kept her out of the major action, and for that she was thankful. She could take a spirit or even a demon if it was close enough thanks to an old surly man named Rufus that had sold her a specialty knife. Hunting, now that she knew what it meant.. was a passion she couldn’t break despite the fact that she had a college education.

She slipped through the only available door and headed toward the small ditch off to the side, carrying the cable behind her. By the time they noticed she’d installed a speaker system, it would be far too late. She heard several cars spinning against the gravel lot out front and swallowed hard. One car had left, there were at least three now. Well, anything that wasn’t a demon wouldn’t get hurt, and anything that was…. shouldn’t be able to leave. She said a short prayer, not because she believed in anything necessarily, it was just something her mother had taught her to do.

Cara hid out until she heard the thick metal latch close on the door and she started inching closer. About two minutes later she activated the sprinkler system and played the practised latin over the new loudspeaker. She heard screams from inside and ..once the recording kicked off she made her way around the building. Her knife in hand and a pistol nestled tightly between the waistband of her jeans and the tattoo on her back. She slid the door open quickly holding her knife out checking to see if anyone was left waiting for her, but luckily the poor saps the demons had been possessing were laying spread out all over the floor. She counted the bodies and smiled when she’d reached fifteen. “Not bad Cara,”she told herself. 

She heard a muffled plea and pulled the gun from behind her back as she spun around. It was dark but she could see someone, no two someones strapped into chairs back to back. Her steps were quiet and somewhat hesitant. If any two demons survived that holy water/exorcism combo attack she’d never make it out alive. It wasn’t until she got closer that she realized exactly who was tied up there and an involuntary smile pulled up her lips.

“Well well well, looks like you boys got yourself in an awkward situation there.” She licked her lips tentatively, she could have helped them out immediately but what was the point of life if she couldn’t have a little fun every once in a while. She pulled gently at the silver tape that covered Sam’s mouth. She moved to do the same for Dean, but he rolled his eyes at her so instead, she leveled him with a glare and moved away. 

“Sam you should really help him with an attitude change. Poor guy is gonna be stuck here a mighty long time if he’s waiting for me to let him go.” Cara laughed loudly, and swiftly struck the rope tying Sam’s large calloused hands with her knife. She tried to overlook the busted lip and several other injuries she noticed, not wanting to dote on him like a crazy person.

Sam smirked over at his brother, his tongue flicking out against the split skin of his mouth. “Oh you don’t need to worry about Dean, he’s perfectly capable of getting himself out of that chair. I mean we could probably just leave him here, he’d make it back eventually.” Sam chuckled and wrapped an arm over Cara’s shoulder, pulling her against his side. She told herself it was because he missed her but in all honestly she caught a very small sign of a limp, and she would gladly be a helping hand if he needed it.

Dean struggled against his gag, clearly calling out for his brother as they walked away. Cara led Sam toward the black car he’d pointed at when they got outside and eased him into the passenger seat. She smiled down at him, their faces far too close for comfort. She stood back up and swallowed hard around the awkward lump in her throat. 

“I’ll go let that pain in the ass brother of yours out, so we can get this mess cleaned up.” Cara moved quickly back into the warehouse and tried to hide the snarky smile as she cut Dean loose from the ropes and took the enjoyment of ripping the duct tape off his mouth. It might have been just a little more fun if he hadn’t shaved recently. 

“Thanks,” he muttered under his breath and she shook her head.

“No problem, Sam’s waiting outside for you… I’m gonna give you about five before I call the cops out here to get these people fixed up and sent back to their families.” Cara followed him out the door and tried not to overhear their playful banter as she hotwired the small jeep beside them. Her truck was a few miles down the road hidden in the safety of a large orchard, it wasn’t that far, but she’d had a long couple days watching the demon activity and really didn’t want to hike back to it. 

Just as she was about to pull out, the black car beside her honked. She threw Dean a disturbing glare, hoping to God he hadn’t alerted anyone else to their whereabouts. “Seriously…” she mouthed, as he rolled his window down. Sam leaned forward, his brother clearly agitated by the gesture but it didn’t phase him.

“Can.. we get you something to eat? I mean it’s the least we could do when you saved us.” Sam asked with a half smile that nearly melted her insides. 

Cara knew she should object, tell him it was nothing really, and drive on… leaving him behind in the dust and faded memory that she’d used a million times over the months they’d been apart, but instead she found a beaming smile on her face and her lips moving over the word “Sure.”

They followed her out of the parking lot and she tried to ease her rampant nerves. She took a few deep breaths hoping that would work, it didn’t. What were the odds that she’d run into Sam Winchester again? She tried not to, she fought against it, but somehow she checked herself in the mirror and groaned. Laying in that ditch even for a short time hadn’t done her any favors. She knew she would need a shower before she went anywhere public.

She took the harsh right that lead to the orchard and pulled the jeep up until it was parked a safe distance in front of her truck. She grabbed her bag from the passenger seat and crossed it over her shoulder before she stepped out. The black muscle car edged up beside her, Sam’s window already rolled down and he knuckles were practically dragging against the pavement with so much of his body hung out of it.

“I’m sorry Sam, but I’ve been thinking that maybe we should do this some other time. I really need a shower,” she gestured toward her clothing and tried not to let the embarrassed blush rise to her cheeks. 

Sam's eyes scanned her body, and had it been anyone else she would have felt really uncomfortable, but when his tongue poked out of the side of his mouth she just groaned internally. 

“Okay, I really don’t want to sound like a creep, but if you don’t have a hotel for the night we’ve got a sort of.. home base about twenty minutes down the road if you wanna follow behind? You can grab a shower and change while Dean makes you one of the best bacon cheeseburgers you’ve ever had.” Sam’s wide grin returned and she knew that as fucked up crazy as it sounded, she was going to say yes. Who could resist him with his big brown eyes locked onto hers, and a wide toothy grin that made huge dimples in the side of his cheeks that nearly made her weak in the knees, no one that’s who.

“Um… if you’re sure?” she bit her lip and leaned over to look further in the car toward Dean, not wanting to cause any friction between them. It was clear he wasn’t her biggest fan but he gave a small nod and a soft grin. 

“Okay, lead the way.” Cara shrugged, this was probably one of the most stupid decisions she’d made in her entire, albeit short hunting career. She hit her head against the back of her seat before she turned the key over and pulled out of the space. Her face fell when she realized how flattened the grass was between her tires. Cara wasn’t tricked into thinking she actually knew Sam all that well, but she did believe that he was probably a very observant man. She nearly beat her forehead into the steering wheel as she realized he’d probably just felt sorry for her. 

Anyone could tell that her truck had been parked there for at least a few days, and she hadn’t bothered going to a hotel because she was running low on cash and Kansas summer nights weren’t that cold. She’d managed to shower daily by sweet-talking the young cashier at the truckstop into giving her a free pass… but most of the money she had left was going toward food; at least what she hadn’t picked out of the orchard. 

Cara cursed herself almost the entire twenty minute drive into the middle of nowhere, or that’s what she thought until they pulled up to what seemed to be a less friendly, more militant version of a hobbit hole. She momentarily stopped berating herself long enough to look at the place in utter confusion. When she stepped out of the truck, her boots hit the ground with a loud thud. She pulled her duffle and her messenger bags out and strapped one over each shoulder.

“No offense Sam, but this place doesn’t look big enough to hold you, much less anyone else… and honestly.. it’s further off the sane map than “a little creepy,” she moved her fingers to make air quotes for emphasis. He laughed and nodded toward the door so she followed reluctantly, shaking her head as she went. 

Sam was slow on the stairs and she could tell even with his smile widening that he was in a lot of pain. The last thing Cara wanted to do was mother him, but there was something urging her closer. She skipped down the steps a little faster than she normally would have and leaned against him until he wrapped an arm over her shoulder again.

“I’m okay… you don’t have to, “ he started. 

“Maybe I just wanna feel you up Winchester, ever think of that?” She laughed as he took her down the last step, the weight of him more comforting than heavy as it should have been. 

Sam barked out a laugh at her side and she held back a snort of her own. She saw his lips open to say something but instead she heard Dean’s brash voice cutting him off.

“Sammy, quit flirting and get your gigantic ass over here,” he quipped. His hands already opening a fairly well packed medical kit. That was the first time she saw something in Dean that she hadn’t quite noticed before. His protectiveness over Sam was blatantly obvious, now that they were within the well lit whatever the hell the place was. She could clearly see the gaping gash on` Dean’s forearm and another smaller one on his thigh, not to mention any other wounds that weren’t visible. A fondness grew quickly in her heart for the man despite his genuinely disturbing disposition.

Sam nodded toward his brother and when Cara dropped him off on the couch, he pointed toward a long walkway. “The showers are down there... I think it’s the fourth door on the right, but you can just keep opening them until you find the right one. Fresh towels are directly across the hall from it, and you can sit your bags in any of the rooms past that. 

“Jesus this place is huge!” She looked around the room finally taking it all in, her eyes were sure to be wide with curiosity. Sam just laughed and then winced as Dean pushed against his knee cap. She watched a silent conversation happen between them and nearly wondered if they’d forgotten she was there. 

“Oookay...I’ll just go get that shower.. if you don’t mind.” Cara added on, unsure if they were still listening but Sam turned quickly and smiled at her. She carried her bags down the hall and was nearly out of earshot when she heard the distinct sound of bone cracking and Sam’s muffled scream. Her face scrunched up at the thought of him being in any amount of pain let alone walking on what had probably been a dislocated knee. 

She kept walking and pushed open the fourth door hoping it wasn’t a room full of freaky things like a sex dungeon or something. Luckily Sam’s calculations had been perfect and she saw multiple wall units, laid out as if it were a huge locker room. She backed out to move to the next room down that had a bed in it and tried not to get turned around. Her sense of direction was fairly well honed, but the place was practically a maze. She sat her bags down on the bed and pulled out a fresh outfit, one of her last, and made a mental note to find a laundromat nearby. If she could throw all her clothes in one load and hang them up to dry she could easily afford to wash them without cutting into her food budget. 

Cara also drug out her cosmetic bag, she didn’t wear makeup often but it did contain other things like soap and shampoo which she relished. Her bare feet moved against the cold concrete floor and she had to bite back a small yelp. She stepped back into the long hall, holding her clean clothes as far away from her body as she could, hoping she wouldn’t contaminate them. She laid them on the long counter beside the sinks and went back out to grab a couple towels and a washcloth, she didn’t think Sam would mind...after all, he’d offered.

She slipped back into the bathroom and closed the door behind her, not that she thought either of them would dare come inside. It was a little embarrassing, but it did take longer than she deemed appropriate to figure out how to work the showers but once she did, it was difficult to hold back the moan. The hot water beating hard against her tired and knotted skin was one of the most pleasurable things she’d felt in months. She savored the moment and then reminded herself that she actually did need to add soap in the mix. She lathered the last of her expensive body wash onto the soft cotton cloth and rubbed it into her dirt soaked skin.

As the mud and sweat were wiped away, she felt the tension over everything else ease out of her mind. The coconut smell flooding the room and causing a groan of extreme happiness. She squeezed her discount shampoo into her palm and rubbed it in generously, her nails digging deep into her scalp and massaging it at the same time. She didn’t bother with conditioner, and finally despite everything inside of her begging to stay.. she stepped out. 

Cara flipped her hair over and drew it up into the soft, soap scented towel on her chest and wrapped it quickly. She then draped another over her body, drying off enough to not drip onto the floor. She must have lost track of time in the shower because a few seconds later she heard a knock against the door and a soft “Dinner’s almost done if you’re hungry.” 

Sam’s voice was hesitant at best, but even then it was comforting and it immediately brought a smile to her face. “I’ll be out in a minute.” 

She quickly dried more of herself off and slipped on the white bikini briefs, having learned her lesson early on that skimpy underwear would not do her any favors on a hunt. She quickly layered a pair of yoga pants over them, trying not to let herself be intimidated by the fact that Sam Winchester was out there waiting for her. “It’s not a date… it’s not a date,” she repeated in her mind.

She quickly snagged up her deodorant and rubbed it against her smooth underarms before pulling a comfortable sports bra over her head and slipping a tank top over that. She shook her hair loose from the towel and ran a brush through it only making a few strokes before she pulled it up into a long ponytail. Taking another look at herself she let out a disatisfied grunt. Sure, she could have easily dressed up or bothered putting makeup on, but what was the point when it just meant extra laundry and more face washing before she could go to sleep. 

She tossed her towels into the hamper beside the door, unsure of what kind of system was in place and moved to take her things back to the room she’d claimed for the night. After she dug into her dirty clothes bag and added to the pile, she continued to push the rest of her things into the small duffel. Finally having put almost everything away, she stepped out into the hall and ventured back to where she’d left the brothers. When she got to the large room, there wasn’t a Winchester in sight. 

“Sam?” she called out.

Cara tiptoed around the room trying not to disturb anything, but it wasn’t as if she had a big map like they hang up at the malls that says “You are here,” or she’d just locate the room that said kitchen and follow the yellow brick road, so to speak. 

“SAM!” She yelled, a little louder than before.

She heard him before she saw his gigantic form, and instantly relaxed. He appeared from behind a bookshelf that she hadn’t bothered to look past. Her feet slid forward and before she even noticed she was moving, she’d managed to claim a spot right beside him. 

“Come on, Dean’s got burgers done and the fries are coming out of the oven,” he offered. She tried not to blush as the rumble in her stomach grew even louder when the smell of cooked beef surrounded her nose. 

“Thanks,” she whispered. Thankfully Sam was too kind to outwardly express his worry that she was sleeping in her truck, and let it go. 

“Seriously, anytime you’re in the area and need a place to crash, you’re welcome here.” He smiled at her, the wide grin reaching his eyes, and in that moment she might have fallen a little bit in love with Sam Winchester.


	3. Chapter 3

May 8, 2014  
Lebanon, KS

Cara quietly slipped her comfortable clothes back into her bag and tugged on her last clean pair of jeans. She lifted her duffel onto one shoulder and dipped her head to hang the messenger bag across the other. She hugged her shoes to her chest and tiptoed out of the bedroom. Her footsteps were as soft and silent, as she crept through the hall and into the large room at the base of the steps. She knew that opening the door would make a loud noise, but she hoped that Sam and Dean were far enough away that it wouldn’t wake them. She had nearly reached the steps when she heard him clear his voice.

“Goin’ somewhere?” Dean asked. Her shoulders instantly slumped. Cara knew she’d have to explain herself now and it wasn’t going to be easy. She didn’t even understand it herself but being around Sam messed with her head and she wasn’t a fan of not being able to think clearly. 

“Oh you know, just going out for a stroll.” Her sarcasm was evident, but subconsciously she was trying to evade the discussion for as long as possible.

“Yeah right, and I’m Willy Freakin Wonka. Wanna try that again?” Dean switched on a lamp and while normally, she would have laughed and made some sort of creepy parent reference, she couldn’t manage it when she saw the look of disappointment on his face. She knew that wasn’t for himself, hell half the time she wasn’t even sure he liked her, but it was eerily similar to the one she’d been trying to avoid seeing on Sam.

Cara huffed a sigh of resignation and dropped her bags on the floor. Her steps still quiet but she moved much quicker to the seat beside him. The soft leather of the couch dipped with her weight and she relaxed back into it’s comfort. She nervously ticked her tongue against the side of her cheek before she answered. “Not to be cliche’ but I’m really not good at goodbyes.” 

Dean shrugged as if he understood but it didn’t stop him. “Who said you had to leave?” He asked, and coming from him that was quite a surprise. She’d have thought he’d be all too eager to get rid of her. 

“Dean, I appreciate the offer but I really should be going.” Despite her young age, the muscles in her back were silently cursing her for saying that. It was as if they knew that she’d end up sleeping in her truck again if she left.

“Okay, just lemme go wake Sammy up and you can be on your way,” he smiled. Dean obviously knew he had her bent over a damn barrel. She really didn’t want to disturb Sam from his sleep, nor did she want to actually say goodbye but the stubborn ass beside her wasn’t going to let her go without at least one of those two things happening.

“Don’t do that..I’ll just wait until he wakes up.” She grumbled out, and held back everything she had to keep herself from hitting Dean in his smug face.

“See isn’t that just so much easier,” he laughed at her disgruntled look, which only served to further her ultimate desire to deck him. 

“Why do you even care?” Cara barked, immediately regretting that the words had came out so harshly. “I’m sorry … I ..” she stopped unsure of what she’d say anyway. 

“Look, I don’t know you.. I don’t necessarily trust you. I’m man enough to admit that you kicked some demon ass back there, but don't for one second think that gives you a free pass. The thing is, what I think of you, it doesn’t really matter. Sam likes you, he wants you to stick around. Now, if you don’t want that it’s fine. Honestly, he’s a big boy...but I’m gonna make damn sure you look him in the eye and tell him you wanna go.” Dean’s facial features had morphed from a smiling smug ass, into a look that probably would have killed her had it been attached to laser eyes or something.

“I understand, and I’ll admit that I probably shouldn’t have tried to sneak out… but you know that thing he does where his eyes get all big and sad and he makes you question every decision you’ve ever made. Somehow you end up feeling sorry for nearly all of them. Well, I was trying to avoid that,” she offered. It wasn’t much, but it was the best reason she had. She really liked Sam, but the guy had a way of melting her that just wasn’t safe. 

“Ohhhhh yeah, I know that look.” A fond smile spread across Dean’s face and he leaned back in his seat far enough to where she thought he might not be angling to kill her at any given moment. 

“He’s been using those eyes on me since the day he was born. He’s a grown ass man and dammit if they don’t still work.” They laughed together, probably louder than they should have but luckily Sam hadn’t stirred yet. 

“Alright, you wanna earn your keep? Come help me with breakfast.” Dean’s voice back to it’s usual gruff nature, but she felt that he was warming up to her which was actually kind of nice. She hadn’t made many friends in the hunter world and having another wasn’t something she’d pass up. if given half a chance. Although if she was completely honest with herself, she knew a long time ago that friendship was not exactly what she wanted when it came to Sam.

They moved carefully around one another inside the large kitchen space. Dean occupied himself with frying the bacon, but somehow still managed to hand out very detailed instructions on how to prepare the perfect waffle batter. Much to his surprise, she’d snuck in a few pinches of cinnamon and they’d came out even more delicious. 

Eventually the smell of bacon brought Sam from his room and when Cara saw him, she instantly stilled. He must have forgotten she was there, or some unseen force had initiated psychological warfare. She nearly dropped the spoon when her eyes caught a glimpse of his perfect physique, broad shoulders, muscular biceps and a gorgeously sculpted torso. Not to mention the sinful line of hair that dipped beneath his low hanging pajama bottoms. She’d only looked for a quick minute but she found the image still in her mind even after she’d turned around in a meager attempt to not look like the creepy weirdo who couldn’t stop staring.

She cleared her throat and he made no move to put any clothes on, because of course.. this was her life. Cara had to sit through an agonizingly long breakfast doing everything she could to keep her eyes trained on his face like laser beams. All the while Sam was completely oblivious as to how his naked chest was taunting her. 

Dean finished first the asshole, even though she’d crammed most of the remnants of her second waffle into her mouth in a wasted attempt to beat him. Instead, he cleverly leaned back in his chair and rubbed his stomach claiming he was full. He gave her a wicked grin before he bounced out of the room, having mentioned something about his baby. 

 

Cara bit her lip nervously when Sam gave her a curious look. It was as if somehow he knew she’d hid something from him.“Okay if we’re gonna have this chat… you really need to go put a shirt on.”

Slowly she pulled her hands closer to her face and used them to cover up the blush on her cheeks and waited for him to leave. She could feel the smirk from across the room as he took his time walking away from the attention of her half covered gaze. Cara groaned once she found it an appropriate amount of time for him to get out of earshot. She’d basically just admitted her big, fat crush on the guy. To be fair though, she thought it would be hard to find any available woman with half a brain that wouldn’t want him. Who could resist all that broad, tanned, and ripped muscle?

Cara didn’t have to wait long before he came back in still wearing the smug grin she was sure he’d left with. He sat down in the seat beside her and leaned back, his huge biceps bulged significantly underneath the short-sleeved shirt he’d slipped on as he crossed his arms over his chest. She tried to not stare but dammit if he still wasn’t gorgeous enough to cause her brain to malfunction. Sam seemed to notice the fact that her eyes were moving but her mouth wasn’t and sent her a raised brow look that practically screamed. “Hey, I covered up.. now you need to control yourself”

“So, what is it?” He was obviously a little annoyed that it was anything at all, but she figured that’s what it would be like. Cara honestly preferred aggravated Sam over his counterpart which was disappointed Sam, that look might have actually broken her.

“Okay, so.... I might have tried to sneak out this morning.” She winced in regret, but mostly from the goddamn look of hurt displayed on his face. Cara slotted her right hand over her left and pulled at her fingers until they popped. It was a really bad nervous habit, but it did manage to calm her down. She then rubbed her palms together nervously underneath the table as she waited for him to respond.

“You were going to leave... without saying goodbye?” He clearly already knew the answer, but sadly it wasn’t enough to let her get by without saying it. His forehead crinkled up and she watched him chew on the side of his mouth before the silence itself caused her to break.

“I’m not good with this sort of thing Sam, with goodbyes of any kind really. I appreciate what you’ve done for me, but I should probably get going.” She nearly stood up until she felt the gentle, but firm grip on her arm.

“Stay…” In that moment Cara was more than a little happy she hadn’t stood. She assumed her knees wouldn’t have held her as they trembled while she was sitting. Cara groaned, his big brown eyes were so honest and trusting that they made her feel special when she knew that she probably wasn’t more than some random chick, and it certainly wasn’t playing fair when he swiped back the long strands of hair so damn adorably that it created a harsh tightening in her chest. 

“I..” she faltered, unsure of how to say anything, much less explain her desire to run. She knew that wasn’t what she really wanted, everything inside her was begging and pleading for her to accept the invitation.

“Just a few days at least? I mean… I gotta say it was pretty smart how you took out all those demons yesterday, and the salt circle around the grave last time was genius. Believe me when I say that my offer to compare notes is still open, I’m not even sure which one of us would come out on top of that. Just think about it… please Cara.” The way he said her name alone was enough to crumble what was left of her resolve. She chided herself inwardly to keep from looking like an idiot but she knew there was no point in arguing, her body wasn’t going to let her leave.

“Sure Sam, Do you wanna go over strategies or…” she trailed off. Cara knew that if she didn’t change the topic to something far lighter or at least something that required every ounce of her attention she would just sit there, ogling him.

“Yeah lemme grab my journal,” he said as his smile widened to an unbelievably new bright and for the first time in a very long time she knew she’d made the right choice.

They’d only talked for what felt like a few short minutes when Dean came strolling back through the kitchen and asked if they wanted dinner. It wasn’t until then that Sam looked down at his watch and realized nearly six hours had passed. He’d learned so much about Cara in such a short time and found it all incredibly interesting. She’d came up with a multitude of really clever ways to take down an enemy without even getting close and he was more than a little impressed. 

“I’m gonna skip dinner but could you guys point me toward the nearest laundromat?” Sam could tell she was a little on edge about something and he wasn’t quite sure what it was but he knew it was probably financial. 

“There’s a whole room of washers and dryers right down the hall. I’ll take you there if you wanna use it,” he offered. He considered her smile of relief his reward, and it was more than enough. He followed her to the main room where she picked up her bag sheepily, it was pretty clear she felt guilty for trying to skip out on him. Sam was a little angry that his brother had practically kept her there against her will, but he was more grateful that she was still around.

 

Sam led her down the hall twisting a few times before he stepped inside the laundry room. He leaned on a nearby wall and watched her. There was something about her that he couldn’t put his finger on, something that drew him in and it was digging at the back of his mind. He studied her back as she dumped her bag into the washer. He ran his hands through his hair, in reaction to the awkward silence. “You know, you may want to get another tattoo. There’s a special one that can ward off possession,” he said, not wanting to scare her. However, if she was serious about hunting, and it seemed like she was, it was important.

“Another?” Cara smiled and bit her lip to hold in a laugh. She had her back still turned to him as he floundered for a reason as to why he knew that she had one in the first place. She couldn’t help the small chuckle that escaped as he stumbled over the words of a completely hilarious explanation.

Sam flushed, his cheeks burning. “Uh, yeah. I mean you don’t want to be possessed by a demon, do you?” He asked, he sure as hell didn't want her to be. He’d only spent a small amount of time with her but he knew that his life would have a huge hole in it if she vanished. “Its safer for us.”

Cara took pity on him and pulled the neck of her shirt down to expose the black ink on her chest. She licked her lips when she watched his adam’s apple slowly move down and bounce back up in his throat. “I heard that it was harder for them to destroy it, if you got it over your heart.” 

He swallowed hard as he took in the sinful curve of her breast, he tried his damndest to make eye contact but it wasn’t happening Sam blinked as though he couldn't’ believe he had just stared at her that way and hoped to God she didn’t hate him. He really needed to stop spending so much quality time with Dean. “Um, yeah. I mean they can still burn it off, but it’s just as likely to kill you as it is to allow them in.”. 

He shifted against the wall, and crossed his arms over his chest. “So, do you .. um like hunting?” He asked, wanting to both change the subject and possibly pry his eyes off her chest where they seemed to be focused.

She stared back at him as her head naturally turned to the side. “Hmm,” she said to herself as she realized that maybe he actually was interested. She still wasn’t sure though, most of the guys she’d known would stare at her rack. Even some of her closest friends had stolen a healthy glance or two, it didn’t mean they wanted to sleep with her, let alone start a messy relationship. “Yeah, I really do. At first, it was more about holding myself responsible for things that weren’t my fault. Now, I just do what I can to keep people safe. 

Sam nodded, “I understand, most of the hunters we’ve met were either raised into it, or something happened and they sought out vengeance or retribution. But then it usually becomes something else entirely.” He pushed off the wall and walked over to where she stood, “You know, if you ever need someone to talk to…” his voice trailed off.

Cara chuckled and gripped the sides of the washer to stop herself from drifting into his space. The cold metal kept her fingers cool and thankfully the chill traveled throughout almost her entire body. “Yeah, I know Sam.” She reassured him the best she could with a half cocked smile and a soft shrug. She briefly entertained the idea of hopping up to take a seat on it but quickly realized the spin cycle probably wasn’t too far off and the last thing she needed was to work herself up even further in front of Sam. “I’ve learned not to ask too many questions, but fortunately most of the few hunters I’ve managed to get face to face with have been pretty helpful.”

Sam was incredibly happy to know that someone had helped her out in whatever small way. “Cara, you could fit in here. I mean, I know Dean can be a jerk, and you probably don’t know me well enough to make any serious decisions, but hunting alone isn’t very safe.” he murmured. He was worried about her and knew that she was obviously capable of taking care of herself, but that didn’t stop the protective instinct that felt toward her.

“Sam I’m fine… seriously. I mean it’s great that you guys lemme crash here, but honestly.. I probably should have left. I promised you a few days and I’ll stick around till the weekend but I’m not a poor defenseless puppy that you need to adopt.” Cara patted her hand against his shoulder playfully, but immediately regretted it when she felt the hard, taut muscle beneath. 

Sam choked on a laugh. “I know that,” he said with a grin. He reached up and covered her smaller hand with his and gave it a squeeze. “You can stay as long as you like,” he said. 

He stepped forward, subtly inching next to her until he was close enough to catch the smell of coconut and had to fight back a groan.“We have tons of extra space around here, you probably wouldn’t even have to see us if you didn’t want to.”

She tried very hard not to concentrate on how warm and rough his hand felt on hers until her brain managed to force her to pull it away. She slid back another step in hopes that she could make her mind go back to normal. “I dunno Sam…but I will think about it” Cara knew that he was going to use that damn face on her if she declined so instead she’d opted for a really small dose of false hope. The buzzer on the washer rang loudly, before she could clap her hands over her ears, his were warm against her face and cupping them tightly to block out the noise.

“Sorry about that. I still haven’t figured out how to turn that off and I’m fairly handy with a screwdriver,” he said. He walked quickly to one of the dryers and opened it for her so she could move her things. He decided before they’d stepped through the door that didn't want to know what her underwear looked like. He was sure that it would only spur the already far too enticing images that had worked their way into his mind.

She split her ponytail into halves and pulled, tightening the band around it. She gathered up the clothes from the washer and ushered them over in two short trips to the dryer. When she looked up she heard him clear his throat. He held out a box of static sheets toward her and pushed them into her hand. She shook her head warmly and reopened the lid. Cara tossed it inside and continued to push the button labeled start. She felt much more at ease with him standing at least an arm’s length away so she lifted herself up to sit on top of the machine. 

“So what is this place anyway? I swear the neverending hallway is beginning to creep me out.” She laughed and stretched her body out, arching her back before she scooted further toward the back edge of the dryer.

Sam leaned against another one nearby and crossed his long legs at the ankle. “Its a bunker and heavily warded from just about anything you can think of. It was a legacy passed down to us from our grandpa. Dean calls it the Bat Cave, but it’s slowly becoming more like a home than just HQ or a place to recoup.” Sam’s eyes involuntarily rolled over Dean’s word choice, but he still wore a fond smile at the thought.


	4. Chapter 4

May 10, 2014  
Lebanon, KS 

They were smiling and laughing together when it hit her, it was Saturday. The last couple days had passed by in a blur and she’d nearly forgot that she’d told Sam she was leaving. Suddenly her laugh stopped midway and she knew her expression had changed into something much colder. Sam’s laughter had trailed off only a second later, as she assumed he took in her new look.

“What, what’s wrong?” He looked more concerned than any human had a right to and she immediately felt guilty for worrying him. His face scrunched up which was incredibly adorable, but the sinking pit in her stomach wouldn’t let her enjoy it. If the realization hadn’t caught her off guard so badly she would have hidden it better, or at least she would have tried. Cara pulled her face up into a forced smile as she shook her head slightly. “It’s nothing, don’t worry about it.”

“If you’re sure…” Sam gave her a look that clearly said he knew something was up, but at the same time he wasn’t going to push her to talk if she didn’t want to. 

Cara nodded and eased her way out of the chair, the muscles in her legs were slightly weaker than normal, but she locked her kneecaps to stay vertical. “I’m going to grab a beer you want one?” She asked, hoping to change the conversation for at least long enough to deflect the how seriously the idea of leaving had affected her. If Sam thought for one second that she didn’t want to go he’d tap into that and she’d never leave. 

She quickly decided that she’d hang around for another hour or two and then pack her bags with a false promise to come back. The last thing she needed was to put down roots or make attachments, she chided herself internally for agreeing to stay in the first place. She smiled as big as she could manage hoping that her thoughts weren’t being reflected to the all knowing Sam Winchester.

“No thanks. I was kind of hoping we could finish up here? I thought we were getting somewhere with these protection symbols,” he said with a frown, waving a hand over the notes that they’d spread across a table. They’d been working on them for half the morning before they’d gotten sidetracked swapping hunting stories. Sam had to admit the one where she’d single-handedly taken down an entire nest of vampires was not only funny, but unbelievably impressive.

“Sure, sounds good but I really do need that beer...one sec?” Cara stepped toward the hallway,she’d gotten better at navigating through the place but it was still a maze to her half the time. Her steps slowed once she left the room, taking her sweet time to get to where she was going as the thoughts ran rampant in her mind. She briefly entertained the notion that Sam would push her up against a wall, kiss her passionately, and tell her not to go. Of course, she also wanted to immediately punch herself in the face for imagining some stupid scenario where she was a defenseless little damsel in distress that needed a man to make her feel important. 

Cara groaned when she saw Dean moving around in the kitchen, this wasn’t going to be fun.. unlike Sam the older brother wouldn’t let it go, if he noticed anything. So she forced herself to remember something that had legitimately made her happy so that the smile on her face was natural before she stepped through the archway.

“You and Sammy done with your geek stuff already?” Dean said by way of greeting, because for the last couple of days he hadn’t seen any sign of either of them before dinner time. They’d spent all their time holed away in the library ‘exchanging research’. But as he looked at Cara, he could tell there was a hint of tension in her shoulders that hadn’t been there at breakfast and he knew that she hadn’t just come out for a snack. 

She laughed and shook her head moving toward the fridge and pulling out a cold bottle. “Ya know, it’s really weird… I went out to the garage yesterday to grab somethin for Sam, and I could have sworn I noticed a copy of the fourth Harry Potter book laying open on the hood of the Impala… maybe I should ask Sam if it’s his…” she teased, the genuine smile raising even further up her face as she watched him squirm a little.

“I… uh… I think Charlie must’ve left them lying around last time she was here. It’s not like there’s much else to do while you two are ‘researching’.” He was trying to act cool, but he felt the faint heat of embarrassment spread from the tips of his ears to the back of his neck. 

Cara noticed the slight reddening immediately but decided not to push it, inspiring Dean to look for reasons to make her uncomfortable was probably not the best idea at the moment. “It’s really good isn’t it?” She laughed and tossed the cap of her beer into the can. She couldn’t blame the guy. Hell, she’d seen every movie at least once, but unlike Dean she wasn’t embarrassed by it and certainly didn’t find it unmanly. 

“It’s alright, I guess. For a kid’s book,” Dean said, as he moved to the fridge and grabbed his own beer. Harry Potter aside, Cara still looked uneasy and Dean was the master at evasive conversations so she should have known better than to try to pull one over on him. Taking a swig off his beer, he leaned against the bench across from her. “Okay, spill. Something’s up with you.”

Cara tried not to let the nervous tingle she felt flood so far over her that it was exposed in her face as she carefully worded her response. “I’m fine Dean.” She knew it wouldn’t be enough to sate him so she continued. “I just have a little headache,” she added. It wasn’t a lie, from the moment she’d realized that it was the day to walk out her temples had throbbed in disapproval and worry. 

“Right...because the girl who took out the psychopathic twin ghost sisters while probably concussed is letting a “little headache” get to her.” Dean folded his arms over his chest overtly showing his disbelief. Sam had been talking endlessly about how badass this girl was and he wasn’t about to be swept under a rug like whatever else she was hiding.

Cara stilled and cursed herself for staying longer than it took to grab the bottle from the fridge. If it wasn’t one Winchester giving her puppy dog eyes and making her feel like less of a human being, then it was the other one calling her out on every line of bullshit she could think of. “Okay fine, it’s not just a headache… but that doesn’t mean it’s anything to you either.” She tried not to sound harsh and mostly she’d been impressed at how much of her cool she’d actually kept. 

“Yeah well, I don’t like being lied to. You’ve not been outside of this place in the last three days, so I’m thinking you’ve found something hunt related which has got your panties in a twist, or Sammy’s got you freakin’ out. Either way, I’d say that’s my business.” Dean noticed the way her eyes shifted down when he mentioned Sam’s name and gave himself a mental pat on the back.

Cara bit her lip, she wasn’t going to have some stupid girly talk with a guy she barely knew about another guy she barely knew that she was crushing on. Things were just too far out of hand, which only solidified her urge to run. “Look it’s not a hunting thing, and it’s not going to be a Sam thing much longer,” she practically whispered the words but used Dean’s pause to not so politely excuse herself back to the slightly less uncomfortable gaze of his brother. 

Sam looked up in surprise when Cara reentered the room. He honestly hadn’t expected her to come back so soon given the way that she’d left. She’d clearly had something on her mind. He gave her a warm smile in the hope that she’d know he was happy to listen if she wanted to open up.

“Nope, no, just stop it,” Cara said as she saw the “it’s okay to talk to me” face. “I am not sitting here having some girly chat with you Sam Winchester… we can work on the sigils but that’s it!” She said it playfully enough that she avoided the harsh undertones.

“Ya know, I’m just gonna pretend you didn’t say that. It’s really weird how much you remind me of Dean sometimes and I’d rather not think about that.” Sam laughed a little and handed her a few notes he’d taken on a symbol that Castiel had given him to hide from the Angels. 

“Wow, pour on the charm Winchester.. you know just how make a girl feel special.” She teased, trying to mask the hint of hurt she’d felt. He might as well have said the words “You’re like a sister to me.” She took the notes and tried not to scoff at the idea of heavenly soldiers of doom as he’d so eloquently described them.

“While you were gone, I took another look at some of these symbols. I think we might be able to use the Enochian with some of the Norse work that you’ve mapped out to act as a charm against magic.” Sam tried to refocus on the text, because there was something about the sarcastic way she’d responded that left him feeling unsettled. He was fairly sure that he’d said something wrong, but he wasn’t sure what it was or how he was supposed to fix it.

“Okay, sounds good.” She smiled because she knew was being short. Cara really shouldn’t blame Sam it wasn’t his fault, but she couldn’t help the fact that she still felt a little jilted. She stretched her body back into the chair and began to mark up the pages of her journal, hoping it would be enough to keep her distracted from his stupid adorable face.

They worked in relative silence, the easy conversation and banter from their morning had disappeared and been replaced with an odd tension that just seemed to remind Sam that ‘something’ had changed. It didn’t affect the quality of the research they were doing, but it just wasn’t as much fun. Dean had brought them some sandwiches at one point, muttering under his breath about nerds and how they’d starve to death without him. But eventually, Sam put down the notes he was working on and let out a sigh.

“I think we’ve almost figured out which sigils we need. Tomorrow we can work out how to combine them to create the charm. I’m going to grab some food, do you wanna come with me?” Sam offered. He stretched his arms up over his head and heard a satisfying crack. 

“Sorry Sam, don’t you remember? Today is the day I get to break out of this place.” She teased, afraid that if she took him up on his offer of food, that the swirling pit that was her stomach would officially reject it. Her face softened with a more genuine smile as she thought about just how much she was going to miss him. “Seriously, I need to pack so I can hit the road before it gets dark.”

“You’re leaving?” Sam asked in surprise, trying to push down the flicker of hurt. He’d thought that everything had been going well. The research had been some of the best he’d done in years, and other than that afternoon, Cara had seemed to be enjoying herself. He hadn’t really thought that she’d go through with her earlier plans to leave. 

“Don’t give me that look Sam, we agreed I’d be out by the weekend and I’ve already stayed most of Saturday. It’s been fun, but I think you can finish this up yourself,” she said as she pointed toward the stack of papers they’d scattered across the table. Cara pushed her chair out and gave a soft wave before she made her exit.

“Cara!” Sam called after her, but she didn’t turn around and if she wanted to go, he’d let her. At least this time she was saying good bye and he hoped that if they parted well now, maybe she’d come back next time she was in the area. There was some sort of connection between them that fascinated him, and he knew that even though they’d only really known each other for a couple of days, he was going to miss her while she was gone.

Cara shifted her things around inside her bag, she realized that she was being incredibly childish. She wanted Sam to follow her like some stupid love struck teenager and simultaneously hated herself for it. She was usually incredibly cocky and had a relatively high and mostly realistic opinion of herself but for some reason the emotions that Sam brought out in her were new and incredibly difficult to navigate. She’d never been the type of girl who was feminine or waiting to be rescued, but spending time around someone like Sam Winchester made her wonder if maybe it was okay to want a man with big strong arms to hold her and make her feel safe. 

With the last of her things shoved not so gently into her duffle, she wiped at the corner of her eye. She was being incredibly ridiculous about the whole thing but once she got in her truck and drove away she knew it would get easier, or she hoped so at least.

She took a moment to thank her lucky stars that the main room was empty when she got there, without Dean blocking her movements she could go ahead and leave. Her heart twisted as she reminded herself that she hadn’t actually told Dean she was going just yet. She really didn’t owe him that, but the fact that he’d been so good to her despite his suspicious instincts led to the voice of her mother preaching good manners. 

She didn’t call out for him, too scared she’d alert Sam to the fact that she was actually heading out the door, then he’d hug her or something and she’d feel his body against hers and probably crumble immediately or perhaps he’d just pat her on the head like the sister she’d became to him. Just as Cara expected she finally found Dean laid back on the hood of the Impala flipping a page in his book. If it wasn’t so damn adorable she’d have laughed at him, instead she moved about five steps into the room and waited for him to look up. ‘I just wanted to say thanks, and let you know I’m heading out now.”

Dean glanced up from his book with a skeptical look on his face. “You’ve told Sam?” He asked, trying to gauge her reaction.

“He knows.” She replied, hoping that would be the end of it but not betting on her luck that she was right. She tried to maintain her cool but instead she ended up just twisting her foot nervously against the cement floor.

Dean bit his lip as he thought about what might have happened. She was honest when she had responded to him. What he couldn’t figure out is if Sam just hadn’t said anything, or if he had and she’d rejected him. Either way she wasn’t walking out the door until he had some more answers. “So you said, see ya later and he just.. what? said okay see ya around?” 

Cara stifled the desire to roll her eyes and instead settled for a huff. “I told him that we agreed it was time for me to go and I’d already stayed longer than I intended, and I left to grab my things, and now I’m here… respectfully saying goodbye to you as well, so that I can leave.”

A grin formed on Dean’s face when he’d figured it out. “Ahh, so you ran.”

Cara’s head jerked back in disbelief. “No,” she responded defensively. The nervous twitch that had settled its way inside her chest flared up and caused her to lose her cool for a split second, but sadly she had a feeling that was all it took.

Dean’s face was full of delight as he’d taken in the new information, it seemed something was finally going right for them. He knew how Sam felt about her, and knew that the guy wouldn’t be happy with her gone, but he hadn’t realized that she really didn’t want to go until that twitch of hesitation. Dean slid off the sleek black metal and crossed the room to stand beside her. 

“Okay, but you have got to try my homemade pizza, took me hours to make. I’d hate for it to go to waste, and when we’re done I’ll even pack up a few slices for you to take on the road with you. Dean slung his arm over her shoulders and led her back out the door, knowing that he’d given the stiff impression that she didn’t have a choice in the matter.

“I really think I should just..” She stopped dead in her tracks when she saw Sam already in the kitchen. She may or may not have cursed her mother’s lectures at that precise moment. She swallowed hard not wanting to go into the room, and not really being able to avoid it without alerting Sam to her presence. “I should just go.” she said at the lowest possible volume she could manage hoping that he’d not heard her.

“Ahh come on now CARA, my pizza’s not gonna bite you,” he replied purposefully using full volume when he’d said her name.


	5. Chapter 5

May 10, 2014  
Lebanon, KS (about two seconds later)

 

Sam’s head shot back and she watched as he gave her an awkward smile that made her chest tighten. Her shoulders drooped immediately as she figured he probably hadn’t planned to see her again and thought she was like a bad penny he couldn’t get rid of. She lifted her head briefly in acknowledgment. Cara tried and utterly failed to not display the same awkwardness in her own gesture.

Dean shook his head in disbelief, “Oh they have it bad,” he told himself as he fought the instinct to laugh in their faces. He pushed further into the room and checked the dough he’d left out to rise. It was perfect, he spread it out onto three separate pans and tucked them into the oven for just a few minutes to make sure the crust was nice and done in the middle when he put them back. “Cara could you grab all the pizza toppings from the fridge for me?”

Sam wasn’t sure what Dean was up to but there was something sketchy about the way he’d dragged Cara into the room. He really wished his brother would stop interfering and let the girl leave, if she really wanted to go he didn’t see the point in holding her back. Sam tried not to but his eyes flicked up to her as she walked over to the fridge and bent over to grab something from the bottom. Her jeans riding just a little too low so that he could clearly see the tattoo he’d caught a glimpse of once before. Sam licked his lips and desperately attempted to look away but the plush round curves of her hips and ass were like a beacon drawing him in.

Cara sat in quiet, unsure of what to say to Sam and not really being in the mood to talk to Dean after his underhanded trick. She looked around the room and focused her eyes on everything except Sam. When Dean finally gave her something to do so she could distract herself, she was more than a little eager. Cara bent down to get what she could find in the form of vegetables, which of course made Dean scoff and look at her as if she’d personally offended him. She laid them out on the table and turned around.

“If you’re gonna complain you can get the rest yourself.” she teased as she tried to let the uncomfortable tension roll off her back. She didn’t wait for him to respond to start digging out the meat and cheese. Cara liked eating healthy, when it suited her. An occasional pepper, some herbs. or even a little ring of onion on her pizza wouldn’t kill her but that didn’t mean she was going to skimp on the meat or cheese either.

Cara cut up some of the vegetables, Sam offered to help before she’d gotten through the first pepper and despite the uneasy feeling in the air things settled down quite a bit. Dean sat some of his homemade sauce out on the table and added freshly fried bacon and sausage to the side where the ham and pepperoni were. She tried not to watch but the way Sam handled a knife was borderline pornographic. His thick calloused hands gripping it tight and making quick but accurate movements until every piece was nearly identical. Dean pushed all three crusts onto the table, one in front of each of person. “Well… what are you waiting for a golden ticket? Whoever’s fastest gets their pizza into the oven first.”

Of course, Dean won having borderline rigged the thing. All the meats and cheeses were close to him and he didn’t have to bother with tearing herbs off the stems or adding all those annoying vegetables to it either. He smiled when he saw that Cara finished ahead of Sam because the dude stopped to slice pineapple. Dean would admit that Sam enjoyed that particular fruit on his pizza despite how friggin’ weird it was, but he also noticed that he hadn’t bothered with it in quite a while. So he figured out pretty quickly that Sam let her win in one of the only ways he wouldn’t be caught at it. Dean tried not to let the smirk rise up his face when he thought about how Cara probably would have handed his ass to him had she known he’d intentionally lost.

She danced around the room a little bit, knowing she’d taken down the almighty Sam Winchester. She teased him and laughed at his fake expression of disappointment. Sometime after they’d began having fun, the awkwardness had faded enough to allow a little conversation. Unfortunately it was Dean who started it.

“So did your nerdy “research” become relevant to the rest of the world or did you just sit and make heart eyes at one another?” He asked, a wide smirk pulling up his lips, he’d used his fingers to make the air quotes and everything. Someone had to knock some damn sense into them, so what if he enjoyed the job a little.

Sam quickly pulled out his bitchface in return, but Cara flinched. Dean took a minute to figure out what that meant while his brother lectured him, it was probably something about manners but he’d honestly started tuning Sam lectures out around the time his brother was guzzling demonic fruit juice. Instead he paid even closer attention to Cara, who’d pulled her beer back and began to chug as he half-heard Sam half denying the accusation. It wasn’t until he noticed the quick dip that turned her lips into a frown that he realized what it was. “Damn I’m good,” he thought to himself as he tried to work out how to make Sam crack and tell her that she was wrong.

“Okay, okay.. so nothin’ happened GEEZ, you’re pretty defensive for an innocent man Sammy.” Dean quipped. The smell of his pizza was filling the air around him, it was amazing and it almost distracted him from the plan, almost. 

Dean leaned in closer to Cara, his charming smile perfectly in place, and flashed her his emerald green eyes that very few could resist. He eyed her body as if it were a prized piece of art and hoped Cas wouldn’t come down and smite them both. 

“I just don’t get it man, I mean I know you’re practically a damn monk at this point but have you even really looked at her?” Dean purposely avoided making eye contact with Cara, instead he opted to keep his gaze trained on Sam to check his reaction. Dean whistled and shook his fingers as to imply that he’d been burnt. “Hell if I didn’t have Cas, I’d have at least taken her out for dinner.” 

Sam felt something cold flood through his veins which caught him off guard. He knew Dean, he knew how Dean felt about Cas, he knew there would never be anything that his brother loved more than Castiel.. but even knowing all that, he felt an icy chill of jealousy climb into his chest. “Speaking of… where is your angelic boyfriend?” 

Cara tried to ignore most of what she could, there was something happening between them and she really didn’t want to end up in the middle of that war. She could easily see things going very wrong very quickly and the next thing you know it’s Apocalypse Now. Although that did leave her time to question what in hell’s name Dean was playing at. She knew he wasn’t interested, she’d known that the first time she laid eyes on him in that dusty library. What she didn’t understand is why he kept pushing her at Sam. He obviously had no idea how uninterested his brother really was.

They went back and forth for what felt like forever, Dean insisting that something was obviously wrong with Sam for not drooling all over her, Sam demanding that Dean stay out of it. She’d taken the time they spent arguing to scarf down her pizza so she could hightail it out of there as soon as possible. She mmm’d around her last mouthful, caught off guard at how good it really was when she’d taken a second to savor it.

Sam’s pizza had almost been burnt black because of Dean’s crusade to get him laid or whatever the hell was going on. Sometimes he could read his brother like a book laid out on display, he understood the language and intricacies but sometimes the guy could just be so infuriatingly frustrating that he couldn’t think straight and all the pages came up blank.

Dean knew that Sam was about to pop, he just needed to find the right button, the one that made him confess his giant dorky crush on the girl, then they could work it all out. As he mentally patted himself on the back for being such an awesome brother, it finally came to him. He had the perfect way to make his brother snap, all he had to do was was wait for the right moment. It came only a couple minutes later.

“Dean for cryin’ out loud, will you just drop it already,” Sam begged. He would have walked away a long time ago if he wasn’t fairly certain it would be the last time he saw Cara. It was going to be hard enough to watch her leave, but walking away and completely missing it would have been worse.

“I’m just saying that life’s short man.. you know.. have some fun and live a little, nobody said it had to be long-term,” he offered up with sly smile. Dean knew Sam was about to punch him in the damn face, even the possibility that he’d use Cara for some meaningless tryst would set him off. He expected a right hook from Sam, that he would have willingly taken… because hell, even he knew he deserved it. What he didn’t expect, was for Cara’s fist to plow into his arm.

“Dammit Dean, just stop. He doesn’t want me…so just...let it go.” Cara felt her voice weaken toward the end, but she couldn’t help it. Her throat went dry and her knees went weak, and she’d never planned on any of this happening. She cracked her knuckles and ignored the instinct to escape, her nerves racking through every pore of her body and sparking at the tips. 

“It’s fine .. really,” she added. Cara tried to use her face to explain to Sam that she understood, but in reality she had no idea why he didn’t want her. It could have been any number of reasons. He’d already mentioned that she reminded him of his brother, obviously that was a huge turn on. He could just not find her attractive, not everyone loved a thicker made girl. Cara was happy with her body, she loved every curve and wide angle but she didn’t have to be blind to know that a fair percentage of guys would rather play with a smaller woman. Hell, it could be anything, she wasn’t going to make up excuses in her mind all night, the point was...Sam didn’t want her, and she’d have to accept that.

“You, me… we’re going somewhere else!” Sam barked, Cara jumped at his tone. She’d never heard him really raise his voice but she did notice that her heart rate took off pretty quickly when he grabbed her hand and pulled her from the kitchen. They took a familiar path to the room where she’d been staying and closed the door behind them. She knew she was safe with Sam, but that didn’t mean her fight or flight instincts were numbed and at the moment, she really wanted to get out of there. The last thing she needed was some sort of pitiful rejection.

She swallowed hard and focused all the spare energy she had to keep her feet firmly in place so she didn’t run. She didn’t want to show how scared and fragile he’d made her. It was an easy decision, Cara would stay, she would hold her head up high, and she would absolutely not shed a tear, no matter what.

“Sit,” he told her, to which she firmly crossed her arms and remained standing. “Please,” he continued. She finally relented to his request and took a seat on the soft plush foam of the bed. Sam paced back and forth for a few minutes as if he were trying to figure out a puzzle, or more likely figure out the quickest way to let her down gently. She couldn’t take it anymore so she finally spoke.

“Look, I’m fine Sam really.. It’s not like I’m some delicate princess who’s gonna fall apart because a guy doesn’t like me back. I’m a big girl,” she said, the smile on her face was forced but she thought it was good enough that she was attempting one, whether it was believable or not. Cara fidgeted with her fingers, hoping it would release some of the stress and pressure building between her shoulder blades.

“Cara that’s ..that’s not it at all. I mean you, you’re amazing.. and I’m like.. so messed up it’s not even funny.“ Sam stuttered through, his nerves had apparently gotten the better of him. Same ole’ Sam Winchester.. could take on the devil himself but became a nervous wreck near a gorgeous woman. He groaned and sat down in the chair across the room, it felt like there were miles between them but he needed the space to think properly. Where in the world had she gotten this idea that he didn’t want her? Sam tried and failed to think back over the time they’d spent together, and while he hadn’t actually made a move on her, he didn’t think he did anything that would have given off that impression.

“You don’t have to do this, Sam. I’m one of those people who like to just rip off the bandaid and get it over with. It’s been a lot of fun here, and I really appreciate all that you and Dean have done for me, but it’s probably best that I go.” She gave him a smaller, more genuine smile as she stood up from the bed and made her way toward the door. She surprisingly found herself spun around and pushed against it heatedly.

“Stay...Please Cara,” he said. His lips hovered over her mouth in a way that seemed to pull all the oxygen from the room. She gasped at the sudden rush of adrenaline that spiked through her, and begged for enough sanity to remember every single detail. The way his cologne filled her nostrils, the way his thick hands felt on her waist, even if it didn’t last, even if this was all she ever felt… she wanted to have the memory etched into her mind.

The words that were on her tongue officially left her when she felt his lips pressing against her own. Her arms instinctively wrapped around his neck as she tried to keep what little strength she had left in her knees. The kiss they shared lit up something inside her that she hadn’t felt in a long time and an ache for more, began to grow quickly. Cara moaned when she felt his grasp tighten on her and then she nipped playfully at his bottom lip.

Sam could feel her unsteadiness and grabbed onto her waist until he was sure that she wouldn’t fall. He deepened the kiss as she began tugging on his lip slightly shuddering at the delicious sounds that erupted from her mouth. Finally, he pulled away just a little, panting breathlessly beside her ear. He tried to relax, despite his blood rushing down his body much faster than he’d anticipated. “I need you to stay, Cara. I don’t have a very good history with this kind of stuff, and I’m not going to lie, you should probably turn around and run right now… but if you don’t, I’ll do whatever I can to keep you safe and happy.”

She smiled before latching onto his lips again, pulling herself up his body. Sam eventually got the point and lifted her up so that she could wrap her legs around his waist. She poured herself into their kisses, doing everything she could to make him realize that it was the only thing she’d wanted since she’d met him. That from the moment he’d somehow convinced her to open up, listened to her with a practiced ear, and didn’t judge her or maker her think she was going crazy outside a creepy motel in the middle of nowhere, this was all she’d thought about. “I want you...don’t make me beg Sam.”

The groan that left Sam’s lips echoed in her mouth, he carried her toward the bed and let out a small chuckle as she clung tighter around his neck. He took a seat on the edge and pulled her into his lap, his hands sliding up her back beneath the top layer of fabric. His fingers moved slowly against her skin as he took in the moment Sam felt as if he’d been waiting forever for the opportunity and he wanted to savor it as much as possible.

Cara appreciated everything about Sam Winchester’s body; he was practically a giant, gorgeous brown eyes that seemed to stare into her soul, and the hard planes of muscular perfection were difficult to ignore. She felt his fingers inching up her back and longed for more. She wanted to take it slow, wanted to feel and memorize everything, but her body was aching for him in a way that sped her movements. She jerked and twisted until her overshirt was thrown to the side and she was straddling his hips. She hooked her hands under the thin hemline of her tank until he stopped her. 

“What?” She asked breathlessly, more than anything she hoped he hadn’t changed his mind.

“Let me?” he asked. Sam eased his thumbs beneath the black cotton, rubbing small circles against her skin as he continued to draw it up. He leaned in closer, kissing a line all the way to her lobe and pulling it between his teeth. Loving the deep shudder of her body, Sam lifted it up even further before he dipped down and sucked against her collarbone.

Cara moaned and bit her lip as the shiver raced down her spine. Sam’s lips and teeth against her ear was enough to send her pulse into a frenzy. Even fully clothed, the man could drive her insane. The deep spike of excitement that hummed down her body was orgasmic, he knew so much about how to please her without even trying. She squirmed just a little in his lap, searching for something to ease the ache. 

Sam forced himself to pull away from her skin, the need to see more of her naked flesh outweighing anything else The moment he lifted the top over her head he let out a guttural groan. The sleek curve of her breasts was perfect, delicately cased in red and white lace. Unable to resist any longer, Sam dipped his head down and kissed his way toward the barely covered nipple. He tugged on it gently and smiled when it caused her to squirm even harder.

Cara jerked under the extreme pleasure of his mouth and fought back the instinct to escalate things even further. Sam had already shown her that he wanted to take it slow and honestly, she did too, but her body was craving more and sometimes it left her mind a little hazy. She took his hands from her hips and guided him over to the button of her jeans, silently pleading with him to open them.

Sam tried to keep his cool but with Cara grinding against his lap and her hands instructing him further, he was a little overwhelmed. He pulled and twisted at the brass button until it popped open, his fingertips barely sliding underneath the waistband. His lips pulled up into a small smile as they slowly moved along her curves, dipping in to grab at her full ass.

“Mmm...up, I wanna see all of you,” he moaned.

Cara complied and stepped off his lap, her legs weak from want and desire but she stood long enough to kick her boots off and wiggle out of her jeans and socks. “Your turn now, Winchester. You distracted me with your stupid...sexy face, and now I’m down to nearly nothing and you’ve still got the usual eight layers.”

Sam grinned impishly and pulled all his shirts over his head at once, the gasp of her breath was enough to entice him to move faster, almost clumsily kicking out of his boots and socks. He paused for a moment, long enough to let her eyes rake over him, swallowing hard when he watched them grow even darker. He was going for the button on his jeans when she stopped him, climbing back onto his lap with a devious smile. 

“That’s better,” Cara said, pulling him back in for a kiss. She licked her way inside his mouth as her hands roamed across tanned skin of his shoulders and arms. She moaned loudly when he leaned back, his cock rubbing against her clit through the softness of her panties. It made her whimper, her body shuddering with the want to grind down even harder.

Sam grabbed onto her hips, unable to do anything else with her practically riding him through his clothes. He knew that if he didn’t slow things down and focus on her that it was going to be over much faster than he wanted. He leaned in and claimed her mouth again, using the strength in his arms to keep her relatively still without making her feel like she was being held down.

Cara loved the way his large, calloused hands felt against her hips but she knew he was intentionally limiting her movement, pulling a whine from her throat. Having the rough fabric of his jeans snagging against her clit had felt amazing and she longed for that stimulation again. Cara dipped a hand between her legs to rub against the hard outline of Sam’s cock, inciting a shudder of excitement to spiral through her. He was bigger than she’d even imagined and she couldn’t wait to feel it slide inside her.

Sam growled when he felt her hand rub against him, his pulse throbbing faster with her every touch. He was just about to stop her when she slid off his lap. He swallowed hard at the predatory look in her eye as she unfastened the clasp of her bra. Her hands moving down slowly to the thin waistband of her panties before she ushered them down. He growled again as he pushed down against his cock, unable to resist adding the friction once he was confronted with her fully naked form. 

Cara bit her lip, this time opting to crawl further up the bed instead of sliding back onto Sam’s lap. She laid herself out on top of the covers, her knees still pulled together as she waited for him. She licked her lips and brought her hands up to cover her breasts and squeezed them teasingly. She kept her eyes wide open as her head fell back with pleasure. “If you’re waiting for an invitation, Sam...consider this it.”

Sam shed his jeans as quickly as he could and situated himself between her legs. He stared into her deep blue eyes, darker and more intense than he’d ever seen them. She leaned forward and he teased her by backing away until he couldn’t take it anymore and finally reclaimed her mouth. He trailed his kisses back down to the side of her neck and up to nip at her ear again, he loved when she got vocal and that seemed to be a weak spot.

“Mmm, Sam...please.” Cara moaned, the feeling of his teeth pulling on her flesh was intense. His breath hot and heavy against her ear.

Sam smiled, she was eager and reminded himself that if he had any hope of lasting he’d have to focus his attention on her and keep her distracted. He slipped down her body slowly sucking in each nipple and playing with it, before he moved any further. His fingers trailed down her thighs and waited for her to open them willingly as he nibbled right beneath her belly button. She spread herself to give him more access, and he bit back a moan when he saw how wet she was for him. "So beautiful, Cara."

She thrust her hips up begging for some attention, he was so close that she could feel his heated breath. Her arms reached down clutching at his hair, thankful that it was so long she didn’t have to worry about losing her grip. Her body shook when he finally tasted her, his tongue barely dipping against her clit. She moaned and begged for more. “Yes, Sam.. so wet for you baby..please.” 

He pulled the sensitive nub in his mouth and sucked hard on it as she bucked wildly against him. Her pleasured moans screaming out so loud that he was legitimately wondering if they could be heard down the hall. He dipped a finger inside her as he continued to tease and lick at her clit. Sam groaned when he felt her juices dripping down it before teasing in another.

“Fuck, yes. Oh God Sam. Harder, baby please.” She cried out, her body so ready to release that she could feel it flowing down her spine. She was so close, the heat of it pulsing through her veins and her muscles began to lock up. When he stretched her out around the third finger and sucked her clit into his mouth, she was lost. Her orgasm spilled out onto his fingers and her body jerked and shook under his mouth.

Sam prodded the sensitive spot until she was practically climbing up the bed to get away from his teasing tongue. He thrust his hips against the mattress begging for any kind of pressure against his painfully hard cock. He licked the dripping cum from her hole and moaned around the sweet taste. 

Cara finally came down from her orgasmic high and felt him lapping her up like he couldn’t get enough. She pulled on his hair and looked down at him, not able to resist laughing at the ridiculous amount of her on his chin. “Holy shit…,” she breathed, letting her head fall back again, her fingers still tangled in Sam’s long hair.

Sam craned his head up even further, his fingers still digging into her thighs as he watched her chest heave. He kissed his way back up to her belly button and moved even faster when she pulled at his shoulders, urging him forward. He smiled when his face was even with hers again, the tint of her cheeks giving off the appearance of a slight afterglow. Sam held his mouth over hers, waiting for her to draw him back in.

Cara bit down on her bottom lip, her hands sliding up his chest to grip the back of his neck, practically yanking him down to catch his lips with her own. She moaned at her taste, sucking on his bottom lip as her leg draped over his. Somehow managing to flip them until she was straddling his waist. She couldn't help rolling her hips, feeling the swell of his arousal pressing right against her sensitive lips. “Fuck Sam...can’t wait to see you,” she grinned shimmying down until she was hovering over him, fingers ghosting right above his twitching cock.

Sam bucked his hips unable to deny himself the pleasure of even the slightest pressure her hand could offer him. Cara tasting herself from his mouth was one of the most erotic sights he’d ever witnessed. Her naked, sinful body on top of him was climbing the list quickly. He bit back a groan when she dipped her fingers beneath the elastic band of his boxers and pulled. The cool air hitting against his flushed, leaking cock sent a shiver of anticipation through him.

“Wow…” she groaned, not able to help gripping the base of his cock. His hot flesh sent a shudder down her spine and she bit her lip hard. Her other hand dragged his boxers off, throwing them over her shoulder with a laugh. She leaned forward, her eyes meeting his in a steady stare as her tongue flicked out, catching the bead of pre cum dripping down his shaft.

Sam’s back arched off the bed, the quick touch against him was more tantalizing than he’d expected. He bit into his lip as she moved toward the head, the roughest part of her tongue sliding against him, drawing out a gruff and raspy moan. “Cara...mmm.” His hands clenched her long brown hair and tried to retain at least a small amount of his ability to think. 

Her lips wrapped around the head of his cock and sucked slowly, moaning lewdly as she looked up at him through her lashes. She was thankful that the man was a health nut...his cum wasn’t horrible and she found she rather liked it. Her fingers moved along the parts of his shaft she couldn’t fit into her mouth yet and continued to take slow draws.

“Oh God, Cara.” Sam ground out a moan, unable to hold it back any longer as she pulled him into her hot wet mouth. He should really stop her, he wasn’t going to last with her tight grip and clenched jaws working together to break his restraint. “Can’t.. mmm won’t last like this.” he finally managed to spill through the breathless panting and aching moans.

Cara hummed around him, hollowing out her cheeks as she pulled off with a pop. Her fingers continued to tease him, the pad of her thumb rubbing at his slit. “Don’t move,” she grinned giving his cock one more long lick before slipping off the bed towards her bag. Hopefully the condoms she did carry, were going to be big enough. She bit her lip, flicking the condom right at his chest once she was close enough.

Sam inspected it quickly, and ripped the foil off praying to any God that might be out there that it would fit. He slipped it over the tip and unrolled it, it was snug but it didn’t feel like it was going anywhere. He gave a half-hearted laugh when she climbed back on top of him but wouldn’t let her get too comfortable. He flipped them both until she was flat on her back spread open for him. He teased the tip against her, not wanting to push in too quickly. Sam knew that she was wet and wanted him as soon as possible but he wouldn’t let himself hurt her.

Cara held her breath as he slowly pushed in, her eyes rolling back as she stretched around him. She tried to keep her nails off his back but once he bottomed out, she couldn’t stop gripping onto his shoulders, a loud moan escaping past her lips. “Oh fuck Sam,” she gasped before pulling him down to kiss him, sucking his tongue into her mouth with a moan.

He nearly spilled over the edge the moment that he felt her squeezing around him, and again when he’d pushed in completely. Sam had to pause for just a moment, had to think of any number of disturbing things so he didn’t lose it immediately. He let her kisses distract him from everything else, eventually pulling out so he could slide back in. When Cara wrapped her legs around him and basically speared herself on him he couldn’t hold it back anymore. “Ohhhhh,” he let the moan fall from his lips as she buried his cock inside her.

Cara cried out, planting her feet on the bed to raise her hips up to meet his. “Yes! Mmm, harder,” she panted kissing down to his neck to bite at his skin. Her legs started to shake the closer she got to her second orgasm.

Sam balanced himself on the strength in his arms as he began to pick up the pace, thrusting into her tight wet heat faster and deeper. She was begging for him and he could feel her body making the room so he stopped holding back. His hips knocked hard against hers, the sound of their skin slapping together almost as loud as the cries of pleasure. He could feel her juices leaking down to his balls as he continued to slam inside her. She was close he could feel the quivering in her legs and wanted to bring her over the edge one more time before he let himself go.

“Sam!” she shouted, her back arching off the bed as she squeezed around him just before her orgasm exploded within her. She gasped through her loud moans, scratching her nails down his back. “Cum, Sam…” she moaned, digging her nails into his lower back.

That was all he needed, the command flowing through him like a jolt of electric pressure sparking out on each nerve ending. His nails dug into the sheets of her bed as he grunted through the jerking spasms of his orgasm, riding out the long awaited ecstasy. He could feel the sweat rolling down his spine, and the cool air tickling against it. Sam panted as he waited for the strength to pull out of her and clean himself up. Finding his footing again he discarded the condom and pulled his boxers back on, tossing his tee shirt to her. He slid back into bed and curled up against her leaving tender kisses along her shoulder as she her smile widened and she chuckled loudly. “What, what’s so funny?”

Cara laughed relentlessly, but it was almost always like that. When she got off she’d either be incredibly tired or be so happy she couldn’t stop laughing. “Nu..nothing, I’m just really happy.”

Sam just smiled and tugged her body even closer, joining in on the laugh until they were both amused and tired. She made a move to get up, but his arms tightened around her, not wanting to let go just yet. ‘Stay.” 

“I’m not going anywhere Sam, just wanted to turn the lamp off,” she teased, finally convincing him to loosen his death grip so she could crawl across to the bedside table and flip the switch. “There we go, that’s better.” she said climbing back over to her spot at his side. She stole a few more kisses before turning over and letting him spoon against her. “Goodnight Sam.”

‘He nuzzled into her neck and tried to let himself believe it wouldn’t end just as all the others had, even if only for one night. He didn’t want to think about all the other girls he’d cared about that had gotten hurt, all the other women who’d been put in danger just because they knew him. No, Cara was different, she was a fighter, a hunter, and she could take care of herself. For once in his damn life Sam Winchester wanted somethin to hold onto.

**Author's Note:**

> A special shout out to my Sammy's for helping me get through this lol.. It started out as a one shot and went much, much longer than I'd intended. Thanks to my Tamnation for editing what she did ( although I claim all mistakes as my own, she's not actually the beta on this.) <3


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